Source: Swazi Observer
By Zwelethu Dlamini
Dondon community woke up to unbelievable news on Saturday morning last week when several police officers stormed a Xaba family to apprehend a man in relation to the death of a schoolgirl who was found in a nearby bush.
Mlungisi Mhlanga (22), from Dondon near Lobamba Lomdzala, is charged with the alleged murder of his girlfriend from Sigombeni.
Mhlanga is accused of; after having consulted a traditional healer; given the deceased a concoction to abort a foetus suspected to have been over six months.
After the abortion, the weak girl is said to have been locked in the one-room flat within the homestead for three days and her body was later found dumped in the nearby forest. The police were led by the accused to another bush, where the foetus was retrieved. This was allegedly after the police found a note in the bag of the deceased (she is suspected to have written prior) detailing the events that led to her death.
A source close to the matter said the note that was found by the police stated that the accused had bought a concoction from a traditional healer for her to commit abortion.
“She then said after the abortion, she was locked in the room for three days. Since she was weak, she could not call for help.
“She then left details of the accused, which made it easy for the police to find him. I am shocked because we are his friends and he never told us that he would face financial challenges to pay hospital fees, we would have contributed towards the hospital fees. “He borrowed a wheel barrow from us, saying he wanted to ferry sand and never said anything about the matter, and it transpired that he wanted to use it to carry the body to the forest where he dumped it,” said the source.
Mhlanga’s sister Tengetile said the abortion was done in the man’s house at around midnight using a concoction sourced from a traditional healer. “They were committing abortion not that he killed her. I think after the abortion, he took the foetus to the forest and when he came back, he found her dead.
I suspect that she bled excessively or maybe she drank more of the concoction, hence she became weak and eventually died. We are not sure what really transpired.
“The only person who knows is the one who has been arrested. I only learnt of the matter when police called me for questioning on Saturday,” said the family member.